As fall sports come to a close, the boys soccer team is finishing its regular season with plenty of meaningful moments that they’ll reflect on for years to come. Their season brought tough victories, personal milestones, and shifts in leadership, all leading to a significant opportunity: hosting a playoff game after earning the No. 3 seed in the WIAA postseason.
The team finished their regular season with a record of 13-3-1, and the success has become more than the team could have hoped for. The Spartan’s pinnacle of success so far was winning the LSC conference, and the team is prouder than ever to showcase their hard work with a physical trophy.
“It’s huge for me because it’s something my brother never accomplished and it also means a lot to the coaches and the team,” junior striker and captain Spencer Kidd said. “It’s the first time in over 20 years, so it’s really special for all of us.”
Head coach Otto Berti knew his team was getting closer and closer to greatness in the early moments of the season, but didn’t know when it would click. And for Berti, he believes that moment came on Sept. 3 when the Spartans traveled across the bridge to Denfeld for their first conference matchup of the year.
Denfeld has historically been a tough battle for the Spartans, where both teams could have a lead, and the Hunters would come out on top or the match would end in a hard fought tie. This year was different. Superior would put the pieces together and come out victorious in a tight 2-1 win for the Spartans first victory against Denfeld in over a decade.
“We scored first…and they scored with 15 minutes left and they kept pushing,” Berti recounted. “It really tested our character.”
The boys would go on to win that game thanks to goals from senior Evan Strauch, who also drew the game winning penalty shot, which was buried by Spencer Kidd.
“After that (game), guys started actually believing,” Berti stated.
The next game that set this year apart from others was Superior’s demanding 4-0 win over the Hermantown Hawks. Berti noted that having a win against them tells a lot about a team and their skill.
“We scored first and it was all gas from there,” Berti explained. “The guys had that look on their faces…they know what’s going on when you play Hermantown.”
The Spartans have four captains leading the team this year, which Berti claims he usually doesn’t have more than three. He does have his reasons for an unconventional leadership group.
“We have guys that just love the game and play it year round,” Berti said. “They are very knowledgeable and their soccer IQ is up there, and that’s what we’re looking for as leaders; to have that soccer IQ that they can pass on to the younger guys.”
Junior captain Aiden Pagnucci believes that this change in leadership and overall maturity and respect for one another is a driving force in the teamwork and unity they are experiencing this year.
“Towards the end of last season, we started getting on each other for simple mistakes…things teams shouldn’t be bickering about,” Pagnucci revealed. “But this year, we are really keeping our head on straight and keeping the main goal in mind.”
In Superior’s three losses, Pagnucci believes it boils down to small mental mistakes. They are handling them well and pushing past them, staying positive and avoiding a repeat of last season.
“Anybody makes mistakes, nobody’s perfect,” Pagnucci reassures. “Mistakes are going to happen and they can result in goals, that’s just the reality of it. Our coaches take a twenty four hour cooling period to avoid talking negatively and keep from getting on eachother…we are keeping the morale high this year.”
Berti has a lot of coaching experience being the former Superior Soccer Association president, a girls Gitchi Gummi Soccer Club coach, an assistant coach for Duluth FC, and is now the head coach of the Superior City FC.
With all this expertise in coaching a large variety of levels and skill, he is emphasizing the good and learning from the bad.
“I’ve learned a lot being involved with Duluth FC and now Superior City FC…and just coaching at that next level,” Berti said. “You see how guys are preparing mentally before games and how intensity of practices is just picked up a little bit more, so I try to bring that into the high school program, just letting them know, ‘Hey, this is what we got to do at the next level if that’s where you’re looking to play.’ It’s just the knowledge that I’m trying to pass on to these guys that really want to be at that next level, and just beginning that experience a little sooner than later.”
Berti has been with the high school soccer team for ten years, and on Oct. 11, he had the honor of obtaining his 100th win as a head coach. It happened during a Mental Health game, set up by senior Peyton Franta, where Superior would go on and win 3-1 against Chippewa Falls. This achievement is substantial to Berti and the Superior soccer community, but he has one other thing on his radar before this year concludes.
The Spartans have aimed to host a WIAA playoff soccer game since Berti began coaching in Superior, a goal he has often emphasized. This year, Berti and the team achieved that milestone, reflecting years of hard work and progress within the Superior soccer program.
“As far as playoffs go, I think we are going to keep winning,” Pagnucci assured. “Doesn’t matter who you put in front of us, we’re going to keep winning.”
The Spartans will host the sixth-seeded Holmen Vikings in the first round of the WIAA playoffs on Oct. 21 at 5 p.m. at the NBC Spartan Sports Complex. With a postseason win on the line, the team values the community’s support for this milestone game and encourages students and fans to come out and cheer on the Spartans as they look to advance in the postseason. Admission is $6, and the student section theme is “construction zone.”
